“We are blessed to live in the countryside”: Unpacking Rural and Small-Town Older Adults’ Resilient Nature in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Pages 193 - 200
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened disproportionately rural older adults’ health and well-being as they suffer from unique social exclusion due to a lack of services, such as transportation, communication infrastructure, healthcare, and social services. Although older adults can uniquely cope with pandemic adversity compared to younger adults, less attention has been directed to investigating the coping and resilience of rural older adults. To understand how diverse coping strategies impact the resilience of rural older adults, we conducted interviews with 26 rural and small-town older adults. Older adult participants adopted different coping strategies, such as following protective measures, keeping themselves busy, providing and receiving social support, and having a positive mindset. They experienced positive changes, such as increased interpersonal connectivity. Older adults’ individual-level coping processes are influenced by their social and physical environments. We explore design opportunities to support older adults’ resilient practices and harness their skills to facilitate community resilience.
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Index Terms
- “We are blessed to live in the countryside”: Unpacking Rural and Small-Town Older Adults’ Resilient Nature in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic
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July 2024
354 pages
ISBN:9798400710483
DOI:10.1145/3674829
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